Nārada advises Vyāsa to describe the Almighty’s activities which he had learned by his vast knowledge of the Vedas, for that would satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries of common people. There are four classes of good men, who acknowledge the authority of the Lord. They are those who are in distress, who are in need of money, who are advanced in knowledge and the inquisitive.
Nārada advises Vyāsa to describe the Almighty’s activities which he had learned by his vast knowledge of the Vedas, for that would satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries of common people. There are four classes of good men, who acknowledge the authority of the Lord. They are those who are in distress, who are in need of money, who are advanced in knowledge and the inquisitive. There are four kinds of bad men too: those who are addicted to the mode of progressive fruitive work (karmīs), those addicted to vicious work for sense enjoyment (vikarmīs), those who are materially advanced in knowledge but do not acknowledge the authority of the Lord, and the atheists. Nārada advised Vyāsa to describe the glories of the Lord just to do good to all eight classes of men, both good and bad. By knowing the glories of the Lord, one would become devoted solely to the confidential scriptures and not have a desire for jñāna. Thus the Bhāgavatam is meant for anyone who wants his own welfare and peace of mind.